We’re all used to Republicans being casually racist and generally in denial about the effects of racism and discrimination. They often say things that subtly reveal their underlying racist tendencies and show exactly why they attract the support of white supremacists and christian nationalists. But occasionally, they actually forgo the dog-whistle and break out the bullhorn to display their racism for the whole world to see. This is what happened at a bipartisan candidate forum in Kendrick, Idaho on Tuesday.
The forum was to allow members of the public to ask questions of both party’s candidates for the state legislature in that district: two State Senate candidates and four State House candidates (Idaho has an odd way of apportioning House seats in the legislature). During that questioning, an audience member asked the GOP Senate candidate, Dan Foreman, if discrimination existed in Idaho and he responded that it did not. That’s typical Republican behavior when it comes to addressing racism and discrimination and if that was all that had happened, anyone who wasn’t at the forum would never even have heard about it. But Dan isn’t so subtle a fellow as all that. It’s what he did later that really gets the racist bullhorn cranked up to full volume.
When her turn came to address the audience on that question, the Democratic candidate for House Seat A, Trish Carter-Goodheart, addressed Foreman’s assertion and spoke about her own experiences of racism:
When it was my turn to speak, I calmly pointed out that just because someone hasn’t personally experienced discrimination, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Racism and discrimination are real issues here in Idaho, as anyone familiar with our state’s history knows. I highlighted our weak hate crime laws and mentioned the presence of the Aryan Nations in northern Idaho as undeniable evidence of this reality.
That’s a powerful pushback and exactly what should be the answer every time a Republican comes out with this kind of nonsense. Carter-Goodheart is the ideal candidate to be doing this too, since she’s a member of the Nez Perce tribe, famous for their resistance to the colonization of their land. So she speaks on this subject with personal knowledge and unquestionable authority. But apparently being challenged like this by a Democrat, a woman, and a Native American was too much for Foreman’s delicate ego to withstand.
In her statement after the event (which is on Facebook, to which I will not link, but you can see it in the linked article above), the account of which even her own Republican opponent for the House seat has said is “an accurate account of what transpired in Kendrick”, she details Foreman’s immediate outburst in reply to her powerful refutation of his answer about discrimination. He lost his temper and angrily shouted at her:
I’m so sick and tired of this liberal bullshit! Why don’t you go back where you came from?!
The astounding racism involved in telling this to a Native American woman whose tribe has been living in the region for literally thousands of years cannot be overstated. Once he had uttered this racist garbage, he then stormed out of the forum. This is hardly the first time Foreman has lost his temper with constituents or other lawmakers (see the stories here and here) and resorted to abuse and profanity. But the overt racism of this outburst is beyond even his normal range of bad behavior. Unfortunately, it is in perfect keeping with the modern GOP’s embrace of racism and racists in their desperate attempt to hold on to power.
By the way, just for the record, Dan Foremen was born in Illinois.
UPDATE:
Wow, top of the Rec List! Thank you everyone for paying attention to what may look like a minor story, but is a perfect example of what we’re fighting against.
Also, more new stories are coming out of Idaho about this incident and, as you might expect, Foreman is digging his hole even deeper. The Moscow-Pullman Daily News posted a story today that gives a few more details on what happened, but also has a quote from Foreman’s response to the incident from his Facebook page:
In a Facebook post Thursday, Foreman said the incident was a “quintessential display of race-baiting.”
“Well, here is a news flash for the lefties out there. There is no systemic racism in America or Idaho,” Foreman wrote in the post. “Idaho is a great state — the best in the Union! And furthermore, it is immoral and against the law of God to kill unborn babies in the womb. You do not have any right to murder the unborn. There is no such thing as your self-proclaimed 'Women's Reproductive Rights.' There is no such body of rights in the state or federal constitutions. And we don't do designer rights in Idaho.”
I don’t think our Dan understands what the term “race-baiting” means. Besides his lack of understanding about commonly used terms in the English language, this screed also has him attacking women and showing just what a far-right radical he is. Unfortunately for everyone, that part may actually be appealing to his followers.
And, last but definitely not least, in response to some good comments, here is a picture of Trish Carter-Goodheart:
Definitely better in every possible way than Foreman.
UPDATE 2:
A h/t to Prince Lotor in the comments for reminding me that I forgot to include Trish Carter-Goodheart’s campaign website. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa.
Also, a h/t to K S LaVida in the comments for showing how far and how quickly this story is spreading, not just in local Idaho press, but also into the regional and national press, with stories now in Newsweek, the Seattle Times, and Raw Story.